ANOTHER PLANET?

ANOTHER PLANET?

President Barak Obama

The Guardian reports that President Obama’s special envoy for climate change has warned Republican presidential hopefuls including Donald Trump and Ted Cruz that any attempt to scrap the Paris climate agreement would lead to a “diplomatic black eye” for the US. Speaking to journalists in Brussels, Todd Stern also said that a recent supreme court decision to block Barack Obama’s clean power plan would not affect US climate pledges, or plans to formally sign up to the Paris agreement later this year. Republican candidates such as Trump or Cruz who query climate science on the presidential stump would in practice be “very loathe” to set off the storm that would follow any ditching of the Paris accord, Stern argued. Republicans’ favorite climate chart has some serious problems: As usual, cherry picking and misrepresentations are used to oppose climate policies

In the UK DECC and Defra have said they will “deliver an energy infrastructure fit for the 21st century”, “champion the environment”, “tackle air pollution” and “provide security against floods” in their new five-year plans. The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) criticised the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for delivering a “highly disappointing” five-year environmental policy plan which they say contains a distinct lack of commitments on the reduction of UK waste.

DGTL has announced a major decision regarding its culinary offering at its next festival on Easter weekend. The organisation, already known for their ‘Revolution’ concept through which they commit to making massive festival productions more sustainable, have now made the bold decision to be completely meat-free!

The Scottish Government has pledged to reduce the nation’s food waste by one third over the next nine years – a plan that would save businesses and households across the country more than £500m if successful.

Edie.net reports that Jaguar Land Rover will incorporate a sustainable aluminium alloy that contains up to 75% recycled content into the manufacturing of all of its vehicles, thanks to a successful collaborative project between the British carmaker and US aluminium can recycler Novelis.

The El Niño that caused record temperatures, drought and floods over the last year has passed its peak strength but will continue to have humanitarian impacts for months to come, the UN has said. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said the event, which plays havoc with weather systems around the world, was still strong and its impacts on communities in southern Africa, the Horn of Africa and Central America were becoming increasingly apparent.

Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a “critical problem” for global ecosystems and for human health as microscopic pieces of waste enter the food chain, an Australian Senate inquiry has been told. The warning came as Guardian Australia learned the federal health minister has the power to instantly ban controversial plastic microbeads from products like soap and toothpaste without any new legislation, according to official parliamentary advice.

The UK Government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has kick-started phase two of its collaborative, cross-industry plan to bring greater consistency to household waste and recycling collections in England. Working with Resources Minister Rory Stewart and representatives from local authorities, waste managers, producers and retailers, WRAP is now investigating a range of potential waste collection models across the country “We are looking to develop a vision for England that will offer local authorities a way to recycle greater volumes of higher quality materials whilst reducing costs, delivering good services to residents and supporting growth in the recycling sector,” said WRAP’s director Marcus Gover. “It won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution and we want to work with local authorities, to demonstrate the business case for change. This is not just about what local authorities do though; all parts of the value chain have a role to play in achieving greater consistency and improving recycling.” More here.

Europe’s car industry has suggested that the continent’s entire road network be resurfaced at a cost of hundreds of billions of euros as a “climate initiative” so that it does not need to make mandatory car emissions cuts by 2030. The lobbying document produced by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and seen by the Guardian also advocates for greater use of biofuels; “smart transport” infrastructure; and “eco-driving” lessons for motorists. The Guardian says that its cornerstone is the audacious suggestion for a huge infrastructure project which the car-makers suggest could substitute for planned EU targets for reducing emissions.

Sainsbury’s has announced that it is scrapping multi-buy promotions across its food retail outlets in an effort to ease growing customer concerns about food waste and price logistics. As the first UK retailer to announce a promotional change at this scale, Sainsbury’s will combat the multi-buy and buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF) phase-out in August 2016 by lowering regular prices. Sainsbury’s marketing director Sarah Warby, said: “Careful management of household budgets, a growing awareness of the cost of food waste and more health-conscious living has driven a trend away from multiple product purchasing towards more single item purchasing. “We have listened to our customers who have told us that multi-buy promotions don’t meet their shopping needs today, are often confusing and create logistical challenges at home in terms of storage and waste.”